Resistance Is Futile

And so, apparently, is Seth Schiesel's memory (which I completely understand, to be fair). In a glowing portrait of Mario/Zelda/Wii creator Shigeru Miyamoto, Mr. Schiesel compares the man to Walt Disney (accurately, I think) but then makes this strange blunder:

There is nothing objective about why a goofy guy in blue overalls like Mario should appeal to so many, just as there is nothing objective in how Disney could have built a company on talking animals. Rather, the reason I stood in line at a pizzeria more than 20 years ago to play Super Mario Bros., the reason Mr. Miyamoto is almost a living god in the game world, is that his games have some ineffable lure that inspires you to drop just one more quarter (or, these days, to stay on the couch just one more hour).

There's just one problem with this assertion: Super Mario Bros. was not an arcade game; it was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) video game console. So Mr. Schiesel didn't stand in line, 20 years ago, to pump quarters into these game.

And before anyone claims this is a simple mistake--the original and similarly-titled Mario Bros., was after all, an arcade title--that game was almost a complete bomb. No one stood in line waiting to play that either. My guess is that he is thinking of Donkey Kong, one of the most successful arcade games of its day, which also happens to be the first game to feature Miyamoto's Mario character.

This and other recent fawning articles about Shigeru Miyamoto that I've seen recently remind me that the Wii has reached mass success specifically because it is not a traditional (i.e. "real") video game system but is rather a completely different kind of entertainment device. Looking around my home, I see things like toasters, coffee makers, and alarm clocks, all of which probably have simple computer-like electronics, just like the Wii. (Sorry.) And just like the Wii, that doesn't make them interesting ... to me. But clearly there is a much bigger market for this kind of thing right now than there is for hardcore (i.e. "real") video game systems. Which makes sense, when you think about it. But in the inevitable Wii vs. PS3 vs. Xbox 360 debate, I'd like to point out that the same thing is true now that was true back when the Wii was called the Revolution: These devices aren't directly comparable, not really.

Mr. Schiesel describes the traditional/real/hardcore video game world as a "niche world of fetishists." That's a bit harsh, I think. But it's just another way of describing the difference between Nintendogs/Wii/Hannah Montana and Call of Duty 4/Halo/Haze. The first is just generic kiddie entertainment. The second is, yes, more hardcore. Each has its place.

Discuss this Article 20

There actually was an arcade version of Super Mario Bros. that was put into ciculation shortly after the console version was released. I remember playing it in Showbiz Pizza (now Chuck E. Cheese), Pizza Hut, and Max & Erma's.
Mr. Schiesel is not mistaken in his memories. The Wikipedia article for Super Mario Bros. mentions it briefly at the beginning of the Alternate Versions section of the article, and here's a picture of the upright cabinet: http://www.lyonspinball.com/images/video_games/super_mario_bros.jpg
Sorry if I went overboard. I just didn't want to be one of those comment trolls who say "You're wrong," and then provide no backup! Cheers!

Paul I've enjoyed reading your blog for a while now without commenting but I had to sign up to say that Super Mario Bros. was most definitely an arcade title. I used to play it in a little cafe in the local mall and it's the reason I begged my parents for a NES.

He was obviously referring to the original Mario Bros, which was released as an Arcade game in 1983.
From what I've found in a quick search, none of the Super Mario games were ever officially arcade games ... but considering all the pirated versions of the game, who knows what other people put together.
I did stand in line to play the original Mario Bros ... however not in an Arcade, but as I fought for time on an Apple II in my Junior High School computer room at lunch break in the mid 80's.

Surkay do you read other peoples posts? I just told you I used to play an arcade version of Super Mario Bros. I played it in the little cafe I mentioned and it was also in the arcade in my town and they were very official looking.

Ahh. Another attack on the wii.
For perspective, remember that in his first review, Paul called the Wii a joke. Said joke is now outselling the others by a factor of almost 3-1 on a monthly basis.
Since then he's been scrambling to 'define' the system: 'not real' 'not hardcore' 'not comparable'.
I don't think his definitions matter.
Sony and MS and Nintendo are all competing for home entertainment dollars...and so far it's Nintendo thats winning the majority of them. It's not surprising at all...Nintendo did it first with the Gameboy. They just flat out know videogames and what the consumer wants.

I just don't get it Paul. I just don't understand why a (supposedly) respectable journalist has to turn his blog into Anti-Wii fanboyism, even for just one post.
Re-read your post: Starting off on a false premise (ie. that SMB wasn't an arcade game - it was, I remember it well), you have used a puff-piece about Shigeru Miyamoto as a launching pad into yet another argument about why you don't like the Wii.
Mate, if you don't think the Wii is a competitor to the XBox, then why do you mention it? Did I accidentally type "wiisupersite.com" into my browser?
Comparing the Wii to "toasters, coffee makers, and alarm clocks" is just a completely ignorant and dismissive.
If you can't say anything nice, and the subject is not relevant AT ALL, why would you comment on it?
The standard here is slipping lately, you're either taking on obscure bloggers over their pathetic publicity grabs or you're having a crack at the Wii. I'm beginning to wonder why I stop by this site.

Ocean... Not an attack on the Wii. The Wii is cute and it's clearly found a mass audience. It's not a traditional video game machine and doesn't appeal to hard core gamers. It's a completely different thing.
Regarding the SMB arcade thing. Please. That's not really the point of the post, but for the record, I don't believe he actually "stood in line" to play that game in a public place. I just think he confused it with a similar looking game that was actually an arcade hit. In case it's not obvious, there were a few of them, including Donkey Kong.
Anyway. That part of the article did catch my eye. But the point of the post, really, was to draw a distinction between the Wii market and the Xbox 360/PS3 market. It's a bigger more successful market. But it's less interesting to people who love video games. Not at attack. Just a point.

"It's not a traditional video game machine and doesn't appeal to hard core gamers. It's a completely different thing."
Nope. It's a video game console that turns the concept on its ear.
According to your definition given in the IE8 entry, it's *innovative*. The defining characteristic being something that "dramatically change[s] the behavior and functionality of the browser."
But it's still a browser, right? The Wii is still a videogame console.
Other than quality of graphics and the control, what makes it different than the 360 or PS3?

"It's not a traditional video game machine and doesn't appeal to hard core gamers. It's a completely different thing."
Nope. It's a video game console that turns the concept on its ear.
According to your definition given in the IE8 entry, it's *innovative*. The defining characteristic being something that "dramatically change[s] the behavior and functionality of the browser."
But it's still a browser, right? The Wii is still a videogame console.
Other than quality of graphics and the control, what makes it different than the 360 or PS3?

"...for the record, I don't believe he actually "stood in line" to play that game in a public place."
Why don't you believe him? Lot's of people hung around watching others playing SMB waiting for their turn.

Paul: "it's less interesting to people who love video games"
There he goes again.
For many of us the kinds of games found the Wii are true "video games" and the gunfests and violence found on what he calls "real" consoles are an abomination of the true fun in, yes "gaming".
"Regarding the SMB arcade thing. Please. That's not really the point of the post"
And yet, the first three paragraphs of the post deride his assertion. Please.
The Wii is VERY interesting to those who love video games. But hey, when you dismiss what is arguably the largest group of video-game-playing consumers as "not real" gamers, I guess you can bend reality however you want.
Steve 2000: "Why don't you believe him?"
Because Paul's whole post is predicated on discrediting this guy's love of video games (remember--these aren't "real" video games, and Schiesel isn't a "real" gamer) and condemning his "futile" memory. In Paul's world, Schiesel is just a silly little boy who plays "kiddie entertainment" while Paul is a REAL man who blows away people in "Gears of War". Can you smell the testosterone?

"the difference between Nintendogs/Wii/Hannah Montana and Call of Duty 4/Halo/Haze. The first is just generic kiddie entertainment. The second is, yes, more hardcore. Each has its place."
Found that line interesting. Try reading it like this:
"the difference between [various types of gameplay] and FPS/FPS/FPS. The first is just interesting, different content. The second is, yes, more mundane and repetitive. Each has its place."
Why Paul has such a distaste for anything that's not a $500 FPS player is... weird.

Um, Paul I think you've had many good points in the past, but you really seem waay off base with this one, like waaay.
Where to begin really? Shigeru Miyamoto is VERY HIGHLY regarded in the videogame industry because he is responsible for some of the best and most memorable videogames in the history of gaming. And he has understood something very very fundamental to videogaming that many simply did not get. A FUN video game is not about how many polygons you have on your screen, or how many channels of audio you have, or how many gigabytes your console or PC has --- It's about how much FUN you are having on your game system, period! And while Nintendo's platform may not have the variety of the 360's or the power of the PS3, the games are a load of fun for their gamers. While I don't believe in calling people gods and all, Miyamoto is at the pinnacle of it all in the gaming industry.
You make another point that Nintendo gaming is not traditional. Oookay! What is traditional gaming to you? Doom, Quake, Gears of War??? Or is traditional gaming again defined by how many pixels and polys you have and your framerate? To call Mario or Legend Zelda non-traditional really calls into question your videogaming cred!
I love your work man I do, but this article st*nks on so many levels!
"But the point of the post, really, was to draw a distinction between the Wii market and the Xbox 360/PS3 market. It's a bigger more successful market. But it's less interesting to people who love video games. Not at attack. Just a point."
You've been in this business long enough to detect elitist thinking right? 360/PS3 owners love video games, but Wii owners are just ______???? What exactly? People who play game but don't love them? Come on!
I submit to you that people are more apt to play Nintendo games because they are more fun rather that the simply look 'good'. Take your choice.
I think all the platforms have a lot to offer, Nintendo, Xbox and PS3 so I'm not partial to either.